{"id":894,"date":"2011-09-18T10:22:33","date_gmt":"2011-09-18T10:22:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/rechtsanwaltsblog\/?p=894"},"modified":"2025-12-19T10:06:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:06:43","slug":"auslanderrecht-auch-die-zeit-der-duldung-eines-asylbewerbers-ist-bei-der-erteilung-der-niederlassungserlaubnis-anzurechnen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/immigration-law-the-period-of-tolerated-stay-duldung-of-an-asylum-seeker-is-also-to-be-counted-towards-the-issuance-of-a-permanent-residence-permit-niederlassungserlaubnis\/","title":{"rendered":"Immigration law: The period of tolerated stay (Duldung) of an asylum seeker is also to be counted towards the issuance of a permanent residence permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis)."},"content":{"rendered":"

Federal Administrative Court, September 13, 2011, Case No.: 1 C 17.10<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Section 26(4) of the Residence Act (AufenthG), a foreigner who has held a residence permit for humanitarian reasons for seven years may be granted a permanent residence permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) if the general conditions for issuing a permanent residence permit as stipulated in Section 9 of the Residence Act are met.<\/p>\n

The seven-year period also includes the time spent in the asylum procedure preceding the issuance of the residence permit (Section 26(4), sentence 3, Residence Act).<\/p>\n

According to Section 26.4.7 of the General Administrative Regulation of the Residence Act, the foreigner\u2019s authority may consider the following criteria in exercising its discretion:<\/p>\n

Duration of residence in Germany
\nIntegration into the living conditions of the Federal Republic of Germany
\nContinuation of the purpose of stay or the protection reasons justifying the issuance of the residence permit.
\n\"Residence_authorisation_according_to_the_AufenthaltsG\"<\/a>
\nIn the case mentioned above, the Federal Administrative Court had to decide whether the duration of a prior asylum procedure should be considered when granting a permanent residence permit for humanitarian reasons, even if the stay was tolerated (Duldung) for a longer period between the conclusion of the asylum procedure and the first issuance of a residence permit.<\/p>\n

Facts<\/strong>The plaintiff, an Ethiopian national, entered Germany in 1996 at the age of 16 without his parents.<\/p>\n

After a failed asylum procedure, his stay was merely tolerated from May 2005 onwards. In March 2007, he was finally granted a temporary residence permit for humanitarian reasons. He then applied for a permanent residence permit, including the duration of his asylum procedure, pursuant to Section 26(4) of the Residence Act (AufenthG). However, the responsible foreigner\u2019s authority rejected this application, prompting the plaintiff to file a lawsuit with the Administrative Court.<\/p>\n

After a failed asylum procedure, his stay was merely tolerated from May 2005 onwards. In March 2007, he was finally granted a temporary residence permit for humanitarian reasons. He then applied for a permanent residence permit, including the duration of his asylum procedure, pursuant to Section 26(4) of the Residence Act (AufenthG). However, the responsible foreigner\u2019s authority rejected this application, prompting the plaintiff to file a lawsuit with the Administrative Court.<\/p>\n

Decision of the Administrative Court and the Higher Administrative Court of Hesse<\/p>\n

The Administrative Court obliged the foreigner\u2019s authority to reassess the application. However, the Higher Administrative Court of Hesse dismissed the lawsuit on appeal. The court\u2019s reasoning was based on its interpretation of Section 26(4) of the Residence Act, which, according to the court, requires that the foreigner has held a residence permit for humanitarian reasons for seven uninterrupted years. The court held that the duration of the asylum procedure could not be counted towards this period, as more than a year had passed between the conclusion of the asylum procedure and the issuance of the residence permit, during which the plaintiff\u2019s stay was only tolerated.<\/p>\n

Source: Federal Administrative CourtSource: Federal Administrative Court<\/strong>The Federal Administrative Court disagreed with the Higher Administrative Court of Hesse and overturned its decision. According to Section 26(4) of the Residence Act, a foreigner may be granted a permanent residence permit at the discretion of the authorities if, in addition to meeting other integration requirements, they have held a residence permit for humanitarian reasons for seven years. The Federal Administrative Court clarified that the duration of the asylum procedure must be counted towards this seven-year period, even if the stay was initially only tolerated after the asylum procedure concluded. A temporal connection between the conclusion of the asylum procedure and the issuance of the residence permit is not required.<\/p>\n

The Federal Administrative Court referred to its earlier case law concerning the predecessor regulation in the 1990 Aliens Act, where the inclusion of the asylum time in the seven-year period was standard practice. A different interpretation would largely undermine the provision. Although the legislator has since restructured humanitarian residence rights, a seamless transition from a failed asylum procedure to a humanitarian residence permit is often not feasible. Counting the asylum time towards the period does not conflict with the discretionary power of the foreigner\u2019s authority, which may still require that the foreigner holds a humanitarian residence permit for a certain period before granting a permanent residence permit.<\/p>\n

This also applies - contrary to the opinion of the Court of Appeal - if the foreigner was initially granted a tolerated stay after the conclusion of the asylum procedure, because the crediting regulation does not require a temporal connection between the conclusion of the asylum procedure and the granting of the residence permit.<\/p>\n

This is also in line with the Senate's case law on the predecessor provision in Section 35 of the Aliens Act 1990. Any other interpretation would render the provision largely meaningless.<\/p>\n

Although the legislator has now reorganised humanitarian residence rights, a seamless transition from an unsuccessful asylum procedure to a humanitarian residence permit is still not possible in many cases.<\/p>\n

However, the fact that the duration of the asylum procedure is counted towards the seven-year period, as stipulated by law, does not prevent the foreigners authority, when exercising its discretion, from demanding that the foreigner has held a humanitarian residence permit for at least a certain period of time before being granted a settlement permit.<\/p>\n

The Federal Administrative Court\u2019s ruling strengthens the rights of asylum seekers by clarifying that the duration of an asylum procedure must be considered when granting a permanent residence permit. This decision ensures that the statutory inclusion of the asylum period is not circumvented by administrative hurdles, supporting a coherent and fair integration policy.<\/p>\n

In addition, when exercising discretion, the reasons for which the stay was initially only tolerated after the asylum procedure was completed must be taken into account and whether this allows conclusions to be drawn about the integration of the foreigner.<\/p>\n

Source: Federal Administrative Court<\/p>\n

Important Note: The content of this article has been prepared to the best of our knowledge and belief. However, due to the complexity and constant evolution of the subject matter, we must exclude liability and warranty.<\/b> Important Notice: The content of this article has been created to the best of our knowledge and understanding. However, due to the complexity and constant changes in the subject matter, we must exclude any liability and warranty.<\/p>\n

If you need legal advice, feel free to call us at 0221 \u2013 80187670 or email us at info@mth-partner.de.<\/p>\n

Lawyers in Cologne advise and represent clients nationwide in immigration law<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When deciding whether a foreigner can be granted a permanent residence title (settlement permit), the foreigner must also fulfil time requirements in particular.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3663],"tags":[2005,2039,2119,284,1466],"class_list":["post-894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-niederlassungserlaubnis","tag-26-abs-4-satz-3-aufenthg","tag-4-abs-1-aufenthg","tag-9-aufenthg","tag-allgemeine-verwaltungsvorschrift-zu--28-aufenthg","tag-rechtsanwalt-koln-niederlassungserlaubnis"],"yoast_head":"\nAusl\u00e4nderrecht: Auch die Zeit der Duldung eines Asylbewerbers ist bei der Erteilung der Niederlassungserlaubnis anzurechnen.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Einem Ausl\u00e4nder, der seit sieben Jahren eine Aufenthaltserlaubnis aus humanit\u00e4ren 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